how i fixed my mavic camera under $50 by switching motherboards

[blackbulletfilms]

I have searched youtube about mavic camera repairs but all i can see are ribbon cable replacements. Of course I've tried that, but it never fixed my camera. I can still see video into the app, but I still have that gimbal motor overload and gimbal would just not calibrate. It just goes wild.

Below are 5 mavic camera motherboards I have collected overtime. So where did I got them from?
#1 - Friend's crashed mavic (Free)
#2 - eBay ($30 for a broken camera for parts)
#3 - My original Board
#4 - Drone repair shop ($50)
#5 - Local cellphone repair shop ($40)

My first switch was a motherboard from a friend. It was not successful. Then I got obsessed with it. I can't sleep at night knowing that I would be able to fix this camera. So I kept calling drone repair shops, cellphone shops and ebay for any broken camera for parts until I got hold of these 4.

So I took a picture of all the boards I have gathered and even wrote my username to prove that this really is possible! And I want everyone to know it because you can never find this stuff in youtube - trust me, I have seen almost all mavic repair videos out there.



So switching and switching unsuccessfully, until I discovered the holy grail. If you look closely into #3 (my original board) and #4 (board from a drone shop), the first line of serial numbers are the same with both being 090KE3A - and #2 is different with 090KDC6


The moment I put the board with the same serial number (first line only - second line doesn't matter), i got the gimbal to calibrate.

Now you don't have to go out there and buy 5 random motherboards. You can call shops and ask for the specific motherboard that fits yours.

 

[Robert Mitchell]

Love the DYI, can do spirit! Very little of that left.
Thanks for taking the time to put this together for us. Just might give someone the inspiration needed to bypass the traditional DJI repair route.

 

[kidroc]

Awesome.. thanks for the knowledge..

 

[Aerial-Pixel]

That's good to know! Thanks for taking the time to share!

 

[blackbulletfilms]

thanks guys! most drone repair shops don't fix cameras. i have called almost all drone shops from east to west and they say we can't fix a camera - we just replace the entire unit. in the case of the mavic, it's between $280-$349 for a brand new camera and from $99 - $140 labor. that's insane.

 

[Searching81]

The number to the top right of the serial that is on the board itself... .11 and .12... that could be version number of board, might be a bit more reliable than going from serial number batches if it is

 

[Ping^Spike]

Great post! Thanks for the info

 

[blackbulletfilms]

The number to the top right of the serial that is on the board itself... .11 and .12... that could be version number of board, might be a bit more reliable than going from serial number batches if it is

yeah my discovery is just a "theory" right now. it could just be co-incidence that they have the same code. for all we know it, it could just be a "production batch number". i will update this thread as i go. i'm into this hobby of fixing cameras now.

 

[lankanmon]

That's really interesting... How difficult is it to find these parts? Did it take long for you to gather them all?

 

[blackbulletfilms]

That's really interesting... How difficult is it to find these parts? Did it take long for you to gather them all?

probably 2 months, just because i didn't knew what i was looking for. so from now on, i would just call places or people and ask if they have a certain serial number that matches mine.

 

[MarkAurel]

But where to buy these boards?

 

[Haloweenhamster]

So where did I got them from?
#1 - Friend's crashed mavic (Free)
#2 - eBay ($30 for a broken camera for parts)
#3 - My original Board
#4 - Drone repair shop ($50)
#5 - Local cellphone repair shop ($40)

 

[Bob Jones]

I have searched youtube about mavic camera repairs but all i can see are ribbon cable replacements. Of course I've tried that, but it never fixed my camera. I can still see video into the app, but I still have that gimbal motor overload and gimbal would just not calibrate. It just goes wild.

Below are 5 mavic camera motherboards I have collected overtime. So where did I got them from?
#1 - Friend's crashed mavic (Free)
#2 - eBay ($30 for a broken camera for parts)
#3 - My original Board
#4 - Drone repair shop ($50)
#5 - Local cellphone repair shop ($40)

My first switch was a motherboard from a friend. It was not successful. Then I got obsessed with it. I can't sleep at night knowing that I would be able to fix this camera. So I kept calling drone repair shops, cellphone shops and ebay for any broken camera for parts until I got hold of these 4.

So I took a picture of all the boards I have gathered and even wrote my username to prove that this really is possible! And I want everyone to know it because you can never find this stuff in youtube - trust me, I have seen almost all mavic repair videos out there.

View attachment 22723

So switching and switching unsuccessfully, until I discovered the holy grail. If you look closely into #3 (my original board) and #4 (board from a drone shop), the first line of serial numbers are the same with both being 090KE3A - and #2 is different with 090KDC6

View attachment 22724
The moment I put the board with the same serial number (first line only - second line doesn't matter), i got the gimbal to calibrate.

Now you don't have to go out there and buy 5 random motherboards. You can call shops and ask for the specific motherboard that fits yours.

Alright! Thank you! My Mini' gimble wont calibrate after I replaced it and the ribbon cable. Hopefully I can find a matching motherboard to bring it back to life. Thanks for the intense post. Well done.